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A review by jaspie
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson
4.0
This is the first adult novel by Tove Jansson that I've read and, as a massive fan of the Moomin sagas, I approached it eagerly. And I wasn't disappointed... until the very end, hence the 4 stars rather than 5. To explain why would probably be a spoiler, so I won't do that.
Atmospherically this reminded me of "Moominland Midwinter." Jansson's description of the land in the grip of a Scandinavian winter echoes that work; one gets the sense of the beautiful desolation the characters are living in. And the writing is spare, crisp. Not a word is wasted, no phrase is overblown. The characters are drawn in clear, precise strokes - in the course of the novel, via the neat descriptions and the conversations you learn about the people in great detail; and those conversations are realistic, true to each character as they speak, lending a realism to the whole story.
So in short, it's a real pleasure to read. It may only be me who finds the ending disappointing, others may like it. But even if you reach the final chapter and experience the same reaction as mine, just relish the pleasure of having read the rest of it.
Atmospherically this reminded me of "Moominland Midwinter." Jansson's description of the land in the grip of a Scandinavian winter echoes that work; one gets the sense of the beautiful desolation the characters are living in. And the writing is spare, crisp. Not a word is wasted, no phrase is overblown. The characters are drawn in clear, precise strokes - in the course of the novel, via the neat descriptions and the conversations you learn about the people in great detail; and those conversations are realistic, true to each character as they speak, lending a realism to the whole story.
So in short, it's a real pleasure to read. It may only be me who finds the ending disappointing, others may like it. But even if you reach the final chapter and experience the same reaction as mine, just relish the pleasure of having read the rest of it.